Management Information Sheet
DBS Checks for Norfolk Children's Services Employees
Norfolk Children's Services would like to provide you with assurance of the policy and standards in relation to Disclosure & Barring Service checks for staff.
In recent weeks, Norfolk Children's Services staff have received a number of requests from schools across the County for evidence of DBS checks. We understand your need for assurance regarding this issue and, in order to prevent the need for the organisation to respond to numerous individual requests, we are therefore issuing this MI sheet as a formal written confirmation that appropriate safer recruitment checks, including DBS checks, have been carried out.
We can confirm that, in accordance with safer staffing guidance, all new starters and existing staff employed in Children's Services in a post that meets the criteria for an enhanced DBS check with Barred List Check will have a DBS check carried out by the organisation. Where our staff are required to work in school we can therefore confirm that enhanced checks are carried out for these posts.
The statutory guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (2016) is clear that schools and colleges do not have the power to request DBS checks and barred list checks, or ask to see DBS certificates, for visitors.
Visiting staff who do have unsupervised regular access to children and young people - such as educational psychologists, social workers and inspectors - should be checked by their 'providing' organisation. It is sufficient for schools and colleges to seek written confirmation that appropriate checks, including DBS checks, have been carried out and to confirm the identity of these visitors. Written confirmation may be in the form of a public statement on the agency website, as is the case with Ofsted.
In line with the statutory guidance and the confirmations contained within this MI Sheet, schools and colleges should not request sight of individual's DBS Disclosures. They should however expect Norfolk Children's Services staff to show their identity on entry to the site with identity badges. Visiting staff should also expect to sign in and out of the setting and to be identified as visitors during their time in the school.